Latvian diaspora

[2] While Latvia was part of the Russian Empire, many Latvians left to other regions of Russia (for instance, Bashkiria) looking for opportunities to farm, as well as for Latin America and Australia.

[3] The next large wave of emigration was related to World War I, when thousands of refugees and evacuated factory workers moved to other regions of Russia.

A large wave of emigration from Latvia followed the Soviet and Nazi German occupations of the country during World War II.

The largest communities of Latvians were established in the United States, Canada, Sweden, Great Britain and Australia.

The center will be a resource for scholarly research about Latvian artists, featuring an electronic database as well as physical documents and other materials pertaining to the collection and to the historical period it represents.